My Life in Paradise (Valley)

Hello all!

Oh goodness, things have been BUSY recently. There is so much to say and not much time to say it. So, you'll have to deal with the condensed soup version.

I got a job teaching in Paradise Valley at 3 elementary schools and 1 middle school. So far so good. It definitely keeps me busy.
I just moved into an apartment 2 weeks ago. It's nice being so close to where I work. Plus, it's a pretty nice place.
*Shout out to Melanie and Will for the couch- thanks again. And, of course to my mom, dad, and siblings for ALL of their WONDERFUL help in getting me moved. I don't know what I would do without you.
I went to California with Jen for the American String Teacher Association Conference. It was a long drive (Phoenix to Santa Clara, CA), and the conference was long (I went to sessions from 8-5 Thursday-Saturday). I'm so glad that Jen came with me. She is such a wonderful sister.

So, I'm just trying to transition into being a real "adult", trying to be brave, and venturing out into the real world. I'll just say that I've got a lot to learn about myself and about life. But, in the words of my wise sister Janae "It will hurt, but you are brave". Did any one else ever get to this point (out of college, first real job, out on your own) and think, "I don't want to be a grown up"?. I hope I'm not the only one. Well, I have thought that many times (and thought about many other things as well) and have realized that no matter how much I think I may want to, I can't freeze time or go back in time. I have to grow up, so I better just step it up and do it. At the same time, when I really think about it, I don't want to have to stay unable to progress or go back and experience things I've already made it through. Yeah, it may "hurt" and be scary, new, and unknown, but I hope that there are good things ahead. I just have to remember that I can do all of this "grown up stuff" and it will all be okay. I hope, at least...

"Be not weary in well-doing", right?

Thanks for your friendship and love. Hope everyone is well.

The Past Happenings

Goodness, everything has been busy and exciting. Here is a little about what has been going on (Warning: This post contains enough material for 4 posts, at least. I as the author am in no way responsible for your eye soreness or any physical or mental tiredness that may result from reading all of this in one sitting):

I graduated!!!- Yes, on December 17th I graduated from ASU. It was definitely a filled day. Before we even left for the commencement at 9am, I grabbed the wrong end of the curling iron (on my last curl, too…) and burned my right hand pretty badly. We sprayed it with burn spray and it kept getting better throughout the day. Commencement was pretty nice. The whole time I had no idea where my parents and grandma were, but they said they found me because of my shriveled, little burned hand laying in my lap (so, I guess burning my hand was a good thing?). My favorite part was getting to stand up when they called our honors ranking. After we all “graduated”, I went outside and was surprised to find that I found my family right away. In our haste, mom and I had forgot to say where to meet at the end (and I hadn’t taken in my phone), so I just went to where I last left mom, and there they were. That worked out nicely.

We went over the Grandpa and Grandma Brooksby’s for a little bit, then Mom, Dad, and Grandma Hopkins and I went to “My Big Fat Greek Restaurant” for lunch. It was SOOOO good. Yum…
Afterwards we went BACK over to gma and pa’s and chilled there for a while. Jenny, Brandon, and Nae met us there and we all headed off for Convocation (where they call your name and you walk across the stage). I had to be there at 3 to line up but it didn’t start until 4. Again, I almost didn’t find my family while we were in the arena, but this time I was smart and had my phone, so I was able to text my dad and find out where they were. I met up with everyone afterwards, where gma and pa gave me a lei (it was so pretty) and we took a few more pictures.

But wait, there’s more!!!

So, then we headed straight over to the Jr. High I was student teaching at because I had a concert to conduct and play the piano in. I was really proud of the students and all that they accomplished this semester. I thought they did really well on my pieces.
Afterwards, we finally got to go home and, no…wait-  we went to Serrano’s and got dinner. There was a man playing the guitar and singing songs, and he sang quite a few to/with us. Grandma H knows quite a few songs in Spanish/Portuguese, so she was singing along to a couple of them. Then all of us started singing the Christmas songs he was playing. It was a lot of fun.

For my graduation gift, I got an iPod touch. I really like it. It will be good for so many things. Right now I am really enjoying the audiobook subscription I purchased as well as the games- a favorite= Boggle. You actually shake the iPod to shake up the letters. One of the big reasons I decided this would be most useful is its internet capabilities and recording abilities. I bought a nice microphone (the MityMic) that plugs right into the earphone jack (is that what it is called?), so now I can record my students and other good things  (keep reading).

Christmas- it was really good- Good gift giving and getting, cause that’s what it’s all about, right? :-) Grandma H stayed for the whole week, so that was nice that she was here. Gma and Pa came over for dinner too- it was just a great day. We got quite a few really awesome games, so we were thoroughly enjoying playing them: Quiddler, Would You Rather…, and (added later by myself) Xactica. Check them out.

For gma and pa B, I presented them with what I am calling “The Story Project”- I will be recording them telling stories, reading poems, etc. with my iPod and mic, and then sharing it with everyone else in our family. I am really excited. Today I got some good stuff from both of them. Now I just need to figure out how to put the audio up on their blog.

So, What Now?- Well, I am in the process of seeking employment- I’ll let you know how it goes. Oh, and I learned how to knit last Wednesday !! (wo hoo!) I’m working on a scarf right now. Maybe I will put some pictures up of the process.

Coming Soon

In a month and 3 days, I will be graduating from ASU. I am so happy and excited, amidst the overwhelming feelings of much to do and not much time to do it.

1 Month... That's it. Then into the (somewhat) unknown. What am I doing in the spring? I have no idea. I need to get working on that too...

It always works out somehow.

Bookspree

Ha ha, that sounds like a new not-my-last name attempt. Hello Ms. Bookspree.

Really though, I went on a bookspree at Amazon.com and these are my spoils, along with what I think they will do:

"The Inner Game of Music"- change my life
"The 5000 year leap"-change my gratitude for my life
"Glenn Beck's Common Sense" -see above, maybe...

"A Whole New Mind"-add dimension to my life

"How Muscles Learn : Teaching the violin with the body in mind"-help me teach better

The other 4 books on their way are all about violin playing/teaching. Books that I have wanted for a while now. I'm so excited.

One problem-with them all being so interesting, I'm having a hard time not wanting to read them all RIGHT NOW! Oh well...

To come... "Saturday is a special day, it's the day we take Two Four-Hour Tests ?!?!? Arizona Educator's Proficiency Assessment, here I come!

Apologies, etc.

Today while in the car with the family I am a nanny (sort-of) for this summer, Debra (my "boss", the Mom) and I talked about blogging; The woes (such as 2 months sans post, ahem...) and non-woes, etc. More or less, if I am to have a blog, I guess that means that I should operate within it properly. So, here is my apology. I will make time to share my little experiences with whoever is interested.

Quickly- I've just been busy working as a nanny/semi-mom during the week. Cleaning, cooking, running kids to and fro, doing laundry, etc. I feel I've adjusted to what I do there, which is always a good thing. They are the nicest family ever. I really enjoy spending my time over there.

That's my summer. Hopefully I can go somewhere for a little trip before student teaching starts Aug. 15.

That's all for now. I'll be back soon.

The Curse of the Ham Bone

For Easter this past Sunday, our family had a traditional ham dinner. As we were cleaning up, I asked my mom if she was going to use the ham bone to make Ham and Bean Soup. She said she wasn't planning on it, but if I wanted to take it, I could. Of course, me loving to cook and try new things you don't make everyday, I took on the challenge.

Well...

I got home to look in my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook to find the recipe; I found it, but my version included carrots and parsnips (???). Somewhat confused, and determined to get it right, I got grandma's recipe from her cookbook on Monday. But that one was like, super minimalist. Beans, pepper, ham bone, and 1 bay leaf? I can do better than that.

So, I went on an Internet search for Ham and Bean soup. Good thing I didn't find a million, but I did find quite a few, and they were all a little different: Crock pot, canned beans (no thanks, I'm cooking my own), red pepper, carrots (again), etc. Along the way, prompted by this search, I now know everything there is to know about cooking beans, downloaded three pdf cookbooks from some governmental program/agency concerning heart health (American, Mexican, and African American. Yes, you read that right), organized all of my favorite recipe search engines and blogs in my google bookmarks, and who knows what else.

A waste of time? not completely. Could I have used my time better? yes. BUT, I do feel like I now have a philosophy of cooking and eating, as well as a renewed/better understanding of myself and my overall interests and desires to improve on them. What do I want to spend my time doing? What provides the greatest return on my investment of time? I'll tell you what doesn't-searching for recipes.

What does any amount of knowledge do in anything, unless applied? You could own the world's largest collection of cookbooks and still have never made any of them. We have to be active, doing something-that's what matters. I hope that makes sense.

Anyway... the soup, you wonder? How did it turn out? First of all, rest at ease; I decided to follow one recipe and do so precisely. I made it for dinner tonight, and it was really good, except that I think I could have cooked the beans for the shorter amount of time. By the time we (grandma and grandpa came over) ate it, it was more like a stew of sorts- all of the water was gone. But, it was still scrumptious. Next time, I'll either cook it less, or add more water.

With the curse lifted, I am so glad it turned out well. No more nightmares. And no more recipes, for a little while at least :-)

Thank you for riding the... Light Rail.

That's the jingle I made up for the Light Rail. I think it should play every time the doors open. It's swingy, catchy, and easily stuck in your head. I'm sorry you can't hear me singing it right now...

So, with my days in Tempe being numbered, I've been thinking of things I want to do here before I leave. I've titled my adventures "Last days of Tempe", inspired by the "Last Days of Pompeii" celebration in The Music Man. Anyways, as I was mentally forming the list of things I wanted to do in my city, the only thing I could really think of was "ride the light rail". So, my dad and I rode the light rail on Thursday to downtown Phoenix, where we ate at a little deli. It was a nice little trip (the food was pretty good), but I definitely enjoyed spending time with dad the most.

Light rail? not so special. It was just like the bus, and I rode that enough times my first two years at ASU. Hence why I suggest the addition of a jingle. That would bump it up in coolness levels for sure. Nevertheless, I rode the light rail. Check.

Friday night Parks and Rec was showing "Kung Foo Panda" at Kiwanis Park as part of this family movie series. When I read about it a couple of weeks ago in the Tempe news, I thought "I'm definitely going to that". Free movie, picnic at the park, on my incredibly awesome new picnic blanket?-Yes, it was absolutely wonderful. If you haven't seen that movie, please do. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.

Hooray for fun things that are free and connect you to your community.